Carly
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: Carly is moving to forks after her parents get divorced. What happens when she looks way too familiar to the Cullen family? Will there be a new vampire that will capture her heart?
1. Chapter 1

Carly looked out the window of her mom's battered green subaru, sighing as she saw the sign for Forks, Washington flash by.

She was moving there with her mom and cat, and it was about as fun as sticking needles into her fingers.

To sum it up bluntly, Washington was green and wet. Already, the large amount of moss and trees unnerved her.

Carly was used to warm weather.

Really warm.

Like, Florida warm.

They were moving from Tampa beach so that her mom could finish writing her novel. Of course, everything was about the novel. So far, her mom had gotten up to about halfway through, then had a severe case of writer's block. She decided that they needed to move somewhere quiet, have a change of scenery, and maybe, just maybe, an idea would come to her.

That's the way Carly's mom was, a quiet, go-with-the-flow type person with once in a while wild streaks.

They entered the town, and it did little to lift Carly's spirits. It was small, the sign said only about 3,000 people. They drove along the main drag, and Claire memorized where the grocery store, the Bank, and the School were. It wasn't hard.

Everything was off the main street.

Her mom looked at a hastily drawn map, then turned off onto Cherry street. About halfway down, she pulled into a driveway next to a one-story grey house.

Grey, to match the sky.

Joy.

Carly got out and grabbed her backpack and suitcase, her mom doing the same. They didn't have much stuff, just four bags and the cat crate between them. Her mom unlocked the house, and they went inside. The interior of the house wasn't much better, the walls painted lavender and yellow.

"Go upstairs and choose your room" Her mom said tiredly. Carly sighed, but didn't argue. This place was sucking the life out of her.

She went into the next room and found a hallway. The hallway had three doors, she tried the last one, and found a small bedroom. She plopped her stuff down on the bed, and started unpacking.

When she was done, her art stuff adorned the desk, a lone stuffed animal guarded the bed, and her clothes inhabited the closet. There was a floor length window, and outside she could see the mountains and a bunch of trees.

Yippee.

She hung a drawing on the wall, and put a photo on the nightstand. The photo was a picture her, her mom, and her dad. It was rare that they all smiled on the same occasion.

She sighed and touched her father's face.

He had left a few years ago, just when mom had become obsessed with her writing.

He promised that Carly could come and live with him in California, but so far, he hadn't called at all.

Someday, they would be together again, but just not today.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Carly carefully picked her way through the crowded hallway of Forks high school, trying not to trip on random feet and shed jackets After what seemed like hours in the packed hallway, she finally got to her classroom, 2H. The classroom was less inhabited that the hallway, but there were still a lot of people... All staring at her.

Flipping her long blonde bangs into her face, Carly walked quickly to the teacher to hand in her attendance slip. Without word, the somber teacher scribbled something on it and pointed to a seat in the back. Keeping her head down, Carly walked down the isle, avoiding the feet...except one.

That one foot felled her like a log, causing her to crash onto the floor...Hard, earning giggles from the class. Blushing furiously, Carly proceeded to the back, taking the only empty seat next to a pale, blonde boy.

Palms still smarting from the linoleum floor, Claire looked over and noticed that the boy next to her was doodling on his ipod touch.

Great.

He was one of THOSE guys.

Actually, his appearance wasn't that bad, white button up shirt, black tie, casual jeans, and a hat.

Then, he switched off his ipod and caught Claire's eyes.

She froze.

His eyes were beautiful, Just looking into them made her feel like a melted marshmallow, but also like a rabbit caught in a trap. Carly almost missed his quiet voice, she was totally lost in her own thoughts.

"Hi"

Carly blinked twice, completely speechless.

"Hi" He tried again.

"H-hi" she forced her brain to work.

He smiled at her expression of brain-fry and leaned over.

"My name's Elias, you must be Carly...Everyone's talking about you"

Carly made her brain wrap around that.

Elias.

The teacher started talking, and Elias shifted back to his original position, later taking out is ipod and playing on it.

Halfway through the history lecture, the teacher had them take out their worksheets.

Carly pulled hers out too fast, slicing her finger deeply with it. She sucked hard on the cut, trying to contain the blood dripping down her hand.

Then, just out of her line of vision, she saw Elias stiffen and gag slightly then stand, hand raised.

"Sir, I don't feel well, I need to go to the nurse"

Then he was gone, leaving Carly confused as hell.

What was his problem?


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Carly came home more confused than when she had left, the pale boy in her class taking up most of her thoughts.

In a daze, she pulled the necessary ingredients out of tthe cupboards and started making spagetti.

While she waited for the water to boil, she pulled out her laptop and turned it on.

The familiar picture of her and her mom came up on her desktop.

They had been at the beach last summer, and they were both smiling, the sun backlighting them perfectly.

Sighing, Carly opened up her web browser and checked her e-mail.

Nothing.

She logged onto her facebook, and noticed she had a friend request.

It was probably some random guy in India...

No.

It was Elias.

Elias Cullen.

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Cullen...

Something picked at her mind, what was it?

The water boiled, and Claire was unwillingly torn away from her brain-racking.

She hit 'accept' on the friend request and shut down her computer. She would figure this out later.

That night, Carly logged onto Facebook again, hoping Elias would show up and chat, but he didn't.

There was still something about his name that triggered a memory, but she still couldn't remember.

Maybe she would find out at school the next day.

Carly never found out the next day, or the day after that.

Elias didn't show up to school again until almost two weeks later.

She walked in and saw him sitting there, watching her.

Resisting the urge to freeze like a deer in headlights, she walked down the isle, thankfully foot free, and sat down in her chair.

Elias was silent until she finished fishing her binder out of her bag.

"Hey" he said, watching her.

"Hey" Carly replied, trying to keep from stuttering.

Today he was dressed the same, White dress shirt with a brown tee underneath, dark jeans, and a brown fedora.

It was very tempting not to steal his hat...

Then, as if reading her mind, he took it off and placed it on her head.

"W-what?" She stuttered.

He smiled slightly, flipping his short blonde hair to the side.

She took it off quickly and gave it back to him, flushing brightly.

He leaned over as the teacher came in.

"You're always welcome to steal my hat"

The teacher rang a bell on the desk.

"Okay class, today we're going to be doing a partner quiz, so team up, and get started as soon as i pass it out"

Elias looked at Carly.

"Partner?"

She nodded, and he scooted closer, causing her heart rate to escalate.

They worked fairly silently until the bell rang, then joined the mass exodus to lunch.

Carly stopped at her locker on the way, stuffing her books into the small space anc taking out her P.E. clothes and math binder.

She stood in the line for food, then chose a salad and a soda.

She surveyed the room for a minute, then went to the back, where all the empty tables were.

It had been two weeks, and she still hadn't made much progress on the friends front.

So, she sat alone, reading or listening to her ipod.

Solitude was a good lifestyle for her, it was quiet, and less annoying.

But still...Friends were good to have.

Carly looked around the cafeteria again, noticing Elias sitting with some other people at a table not too far off.

As she watched, a smaller girl with a pixie cut looked up quickly and met her eyes.

Carly looked awway quickly, then looked back.

The girl was tapping Elias on the shoulder and whispering something.

Then Elias looked over, grinning.

Carly looked down, becoming engrossed with her salad.

Then she looked up, and Elias was gone.

Carly sighed, then jumped when Elias magically reappeared right in front of her.

"Hey" He said, sitting down across from her.

Carly blinked.

What was happening?

"Hey" He tried again.

Carly snapped back to life.

"Hi"

Elias gave her an odd look, then continued.

"I saw you sitting alone over her, thought i'd join you. Do you mind?"

She shook her head.

"H-help yourself"

Then, her nervousness evaporated.

What the hell?

Just like that.

It was almost as if someone... No, people couldn't do that.

She shot a quick glance around the room, he eyes resting on the table Elias had come from.

She took inventory.

There was a blonde girl, the girl with the pixie cut, and three other boys.

Her gaze focused on one of them, a slim boy with curly blonde hair.

He was staring intently at her.

She narrowed her eyes, and he gave her a startled look.

That was about when Elias broke eye contact by waving his hand in her face.

"Earth to Carly"

She snapped back to reality and looked at him wide-eyed.

He gave her a weird look.

"You Okay?"

She nodded and picked at her salad more.

"Who's the blonde kid you were sitting with?"

He looked over his shoulder, and the blonde boy smirked.

"Oh. that's...My brother Jasper"

Carly nodded, reaching into her bag, instantly pulling it back when she pricked it on something sharp.

She looked down.

Damn, she was bleeding again.

She looked at Elias.

He was staring wide-eyed at her hand, now oozing blood.

It was then that Carly started feeling scared.

The expression in his eyes was...Hungry.

Then he shook himself and stood quickly, walking away with a straight back.

She sat there, shocked.

That was twice now.

Maybe he had an aversion to blood.

But that didn't explain the look in his eyes.

Maybe he was a vampire...

Carly laughed inwardly, Vampires weren't real, and everyone knew that.

She couldn't have known how wrong she was.


	4. Chapter 4

To Carly's surprise, Elias showed up at school the next day.

It had snowed overnight, sticking and freezing the next morning, making everything icy and cold.

Carly groaned. Snow was fun right up until you were fishtailing because your car slipped on the ice. She carefully backed her mom's Subaru out of the driveway, joining the throng of people trying to get into the high school parking lot.

When Carly finally found a parking spot, she grabbed her bag and got out of the car, instantly slipping on the ice. Today was going to be difficult.

Carly righted herself and looked around. Nobody saw. Slowly, she started walking to the school building, avoiding the patches of ice.

On the lawn, a good three inches of snow piled up, and people were already throwing it. She made it to the door without injury, and was almost about to go inside when a snowball whizzed right by her ear, smacking into the glass in front of her.

"Oops"

Carly turned around to see Elias walking towards her, smiling.

"Did you throw that?"

"No"

Busted.

Carly set down her bag and grabbed a handful of snow, lobbing it at him. He dodged it easily.

"I think you need to work on your aim" He said, catching up to her and opening the door.

Carly glared at the back of his head. Elias was dressed slightly different today, the most prominent difference being no hat. His blonde hair was slightly mussed up, but otherwise flicked perfectly across his face. He had on a black hoodie with a dragon and jeans.

Carly hated to admit it, but he looked good.

They were silent until they reached Carly's locker. She turned the combination and opened it, catching her books as they slid out, causing Elias to chuckle.

"You have a lot of random crap in there, you know"

Carly glared at him again, slamming the door shut.

"Yes, I know that very well"

Elias smirked and walked to his locker, which was only our down from Carly's.

He opened it, and Carly's mouth fell open.

It was spotless.

She blinked twice, unsure of what to say.

"Score one for the sloth" Elias said, retrieving his books from the locker and shutting the door.

"You wish" Carly said, walking away.

Her first class was Biology in room 3A. Elias caught up to her as she was about to go in.

"Glad you're not a shy today" He said in her ear as he passed. Carly watched him walk down the rest of hall, a blush adorning her cheeks.

It was true. For some reason, she didn't feel as shy or nervous around him anymore.

Biology passed infuriatingly slow. They were writing Essays on frogs, something she had done in second grade. Carly had finished in the first half hour, and was now listening to her ipod, the music bothering her more than keeping her amused. When the bell finally rang, She practically leaped out of her seat in order to get to History on time.

When she entered the room, she instantly felt Elias' eyes on her. She sat down, fishing her binder out of her bag. After a few seconds, she chanced a look to her left. Elias was still staring at her, an amused smile pricking the corners of his mouth.

"What?" She said, his gaze making her blush a little.

"Just watching you"

"Reaaaaally"

"No, I lied. I'm checking out that blonde over there" he said sarcastically. Carly looked at her binder, suddenly feeling shy. This was going to be interesting day.

After her last class, Carly walked out to her car and stood for a moment, watching the cars go by. Most of the people in her row had cleared out, but there were still a large cluster of students by the door.

Her gaze flicked into the corner of the lot, where she could see Elias leaning against his car, watching her.

Then, her brain froze as she heard the screech of failing brakes. She turne her head to see that a large white van had slipped on ice, and was coming right towards her.

She could see the driver desperately trying to turn, but it wasn't any use...it was going to hit her anyways. It was too fast.

Then, Elias was there, right as the van hit, sandwiching himself between her and the van. He pushed her down, and her head hit the pavement with a crack.

It hit him square across the back, molding against his shoulders. Carly watched wide eyed as he took a hand and pushed the van back, leaving a hand print in the side of the van. Everything settled, and she could hear shouts from the other students.

Elias pulled her up into a sitting position against her car, kneeling next to her.

"Are you okay?" Elias whispered, watching her intensely.

"Yeah" Carly said, still wide-eyed.

She reached up to her head and touched the bruise. Good. No blood, no glory.

"How?" She whispered, looking at Elias, then at the van behind him.

Elias stared at her intensly for a few seconds, then left, leaving Carly confused, and not for the first time.


	5. Chapter 5

After the crash, the rest of the day passed in a blur, Carly only really grasping back onto reality when she was releashed from the hospital with a perfect bill of health.

Her mom was in the lobby, calling her dad when Carly heard raised voices, both of them definitely recognizable.

"Dammit Carlisle! What was I supposed to do, let her be crushed?"

"No, but I think the situation could have been handled differently"

Carly listened to Elias and Dr. Carlisle argue around the corner from her.

The Doctor had run her check-up, and she noticed some of the smae...characteristics that she saw in Elias.

He must be Elias' father.

And they were undoubtedly arguing about her, and they sounded angry...at least, Elias did.

Questions burned in her mind, and now was the perfect time to try to get him alone.

She turned the corner.

Carlisle nodded in her direction and Elias looked over, his expression unreadable.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked

He walked over and leaned against the wall, his expression clearly annoyed now.

"What" It was more of a statement than a question.

"How?"

He glared at her.

"What do you mean, how?"

She would NOT let him get to her.

"How the hell did you stop a one-ton van from crushing us both, or more importantly, how the heck did you get across the parking lot so fast?"

"I was right next to you"

"As if"

"I think you hit your head. Go home Carly"

His bluntness stung her like a whip, and tears threatened to prick the corners of her eyes.

Had he forgotten about their day?

Had he forgotten how they had playfully messed around that morning?

Apparently he had.

Fine.

If that was how he was going to be.

She turned and strode out the door, catching up to her mom in the lobby.

The car ride home was silent, he mom already having reached the stress-o-meter for that day.

They stopped and got Chinese take-out, eating quietly once they got home.

After dinner, Carly announced that she was going upstairs...Her mom was too tired to argue.

Once in her bedroom, Carly let her feelings fly.

What the hell had happened that afternoon?

It was as if he had some sort of bipolar disorder, his emotions flying faster than a hurricane.

All she knew was that there was something weird going on....

Something weird.

The accident replayed over and over in her head until she felt about ready to scream.

Banging her head on her desk in a vain attempt to relieve the pain, a thought randomly came to her.

Carly pulled her laptop out and googled 'vampire'.

Almost at once, thirty thousand listing popped up, and she went with the 'international vampire media association'.

She read downt he different listings until she came to the English legend.

What she found chilled her.

Pale, beautiful, fast, cold-skinned, averse to sunlight, and of course, bloodsucking.

Carly sat back in her chair.

Elias...

He was pale, never went out in the sunlight, fast, and beautiful.

And then there was him mysteriously running away whenever he smelled her blood.

It had to be...

Carly felt like ice water had been poured down her shirt.

He was a Vampire.

And she had become his thing of interest, or so it seemed.


	6. Chapter 6

Sleep was impossible that night, even if she wasn't constantly thinking about Elias, her pounding head would have kept her awake.

Carly groaned and rolled over for what seemed like the millionth time.

The clock on her bedside table read 12:30.

She was so tired...Why the heck couldn't she sleep?

Thoughts were running through her mind, but everytime she tried to grab one, it only succeeded in agitating her more.

Finally, she threw off her heavy comforter and padded down to the kitchen for some water and some aspirin.

The aspirin helped the headache, but didn't help the restlessness.

Carly went back up to bed and lay there, thinking.

Something rustled outside, but she brushed it off as the wind.

Then, she heard it again. Louder this time.

Carly buried herself in her covers and told herself she was being silly.

No one was out there, no one would get her.

She listened hard, but the sound didn't come again.

Finally around 1:30, she started to drift off...

Her dreams were awful.

_She was standing on a cliff, by the sea, she could hear the waves and smell the salt._

_Then, a figure stepped out of the trees behind her._

_Even though she couldn't see him, she knew who it was._

_Elias._

_He stepped out of the shadows and into the light, and she could see an uncharacteristic smirk playing across his features._

_A heart-stopping fear arose in her._

_He was going to hurt her._

_Slowly, almost like a panther, he stepped forwards..._

_Then, with speed unlike anything else, he leaped forwards, grabbing her from behind and bending her arms back to the breaking point._

_The pain exploded in her mind, cutting off everything else._

_She could hear herself screaming, but she was powerless to stop it._

_There was another sound..._

_A cold, cruel laugh._

Then, Carly was being shaken awake.

She sat bolt upright and the screaming stopped, her throat burning.

At first, she thought it was her mother who had shaken her, coming to see what the noise was about.

She looked around.

The room was completely empty.

By this point she didn't even care.

Carly fell back into the pillows and sobbed, the tears rolling down her cheeks like rain.

This place....

She had to get away.

It was too much.

She turned on the light and got out of bed, ignoring her protesting eyes.

Fumbling quickly in her desk drawer, she finally pulled out what she was looking for.

She got back into bed, studying the object in her hands.

It was a small pocketknife, the only thing she had of her dad's.

He had given it to her on her tenth birthday, when he had taken her fishing.

For some reason, when she was upset, she would always take it out and look at it for a while...For some reason it calmed her.

Then, without thinking, she flipped the blade out and sliced the side of her wrist.

She grit her teeth at the pain and watched the blood seep out of the little cut.

Oh god.

What had she done?

She threw the knife across the room.

She had cut herself.

On purpose.

And it scared her.

Was she really this close to the brink?

It was almost as if her mind had taken it's own course...there was nothing she could have done.

Oh god.

What if she had hit a vein...

The tears started rolling again, burning her cheeks.

What had happened to her?

This wasn't what she did...She was a happy person.

What had gone wrong?

Why couldn't people just accept her the way she was?

Normally, she didn't mind, but for once she actually wanted to fit in...

Elias.

He had messed her up this badly.

It was his fault.

For being such a prick at the hospital.

Why couldn't HE accept her?

She hadn't done anything...

She just tried to be who she was...and that was what tripped people up.

They didn't like her just plain, no one could stand her when she didn't put on a face.

Why couldn't people be happy?

Carly sighed, the tears having run out.

Maybe tomorrow, a solution would come...

Maybe tomorrow, things wouldn't be as bad.

.......................................................

Sorry, that was intense O.O

Please Review! :)


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Carly woke up with a raging headache that she always got after crying.

Slowly, she dragged herself out of bed, dressing slowly.

Her brain stayed in the same foggy state all day, the slow rain doing nothing to help the matter.

In History, Elias had the animation of a brick wall, taking notes and avoiding her eyes.

As the bell rang for lunch, Carly stood up a little too quickly and tripped, slamming her hand into the edge of the desk.

She looked down and saw that her cut from the previous night had re-opened, and was bleeding slightly.

At once, she realized that someone was watching her, and she froze, knowing exactly who it was.

Elias stood stock-still in the middle of the row, looking back at her with his pitch black eyes, his expression unreadable.

Then, he turned on his heel in one swift movement and left, joining the throngs of people flocking in the hallway outside.

Clarly stared after him, her brain starting to sink back into the hazy mist.

Time flew, and soon Carly found herself at her locker after P.E., her last class.

Slowly, she took her bag out and put her gym gear in.

Carly paused and looked around. She was one of the last ones in the school, having dawdled in the locker room, then idled in the hallway.

A chill ran down her spine.

The eerie silence was pressing down on her.

Usually, the school was so busy, it was almost peaceful without the noise.

Then, she realized why it was so quiet.

The rain had stopped.

In the one place it rains the most. The rain had stopped.

It was relieving, but creepy. She had already gotten used to the constant sound of raindrops.

Carly grabbed some more stuff out of her locker and shut the door.

She stared at her locker a while longer, dreading going outside.

Then, another chill ran down her spine, and she realized she wasn't alone after all.

Slowly, Carly turned around.

Leaning on the lockers across from her, was Elias.

She raised her eyebrows.

Elias narrowed his eyes, and took a step towards her.

"What do you want?" She asked tiredly.

If possible, his eyes narrowed more.

Then, he closed the gap between them, pinning her to the lockers behind her with a hand on either side of her head.

Carly's breath hitched and her brain went haywire.

"What's wrong with your wrist?" He said, his eyes staring straight into hers.

Calire looked down.

Good.

Her coat covered the angry red mark.

Elias followed her glance, and picked up her left hand roughly.

"Is this the one?"

Carly didn't answer.

He yanked the sleeve down, ignoring Carly's hiss of pain.

Elias's eyes widened when he saw the long, jagged cut.

"What did you do?" He asked dangerously, his eyes burning.

"Nothing" She replied, yanking her arm away and darting under his arm.

Carly barely got three feet before she was pinned again.

"What. Did. You. Do."

She stared back into his dark eyes silently, then watched as they widened in shock.

"Did You...Cut yourself?"

Carly looked away, then back again.

Elias's face lit up with anger, and he spun away from her, slamming his hands into the wall opposite them.

Claire watched as he held perfectly still except for his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Why?" He said quietly, spinning around again.

Carly looked at him with her wide blue eyes.

Slowly, he took a couple steps closer, his brows creased in frustration.

"Will you ever tell me anything of your own free will?"

"No" Carly whispered.

Then, he did the most unexpecting thing ever.

He kissed her.

As quickly as he moved forward, he pulled away, his face creasing in anger.

Then, he was gone.

Instead of the usual confusion, Carly just felt...blank.

Slowly, she slid down the wall, her brain going completely numb.

It was then that the confusion set in.

What the hell had just happened?


	8. Chapter 8

Carly drove home and let herself in her little gray house.

Slowly, she walked to her room and shut the door quietly.

She felt...weird.

She sat down in her purple beanbag and Fluffy jumped into in her lap, curling into a little ball of fur.

"Hey Fluff" She said absently.

Oh for heaven's sake, why was she mooning around like this?

Carly groaned and leaned her head back.

It was a lie to say that the kiss was bad; it was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced, but...

Didn't Elias hate her?

One minute he was blowing her off, the next he was kissing her.

He had serious mood swings.

The next day in history, Elias wasn't there.

It seemed that he always disappeared after something happened between them.

Turns out that it was a good thing he missed it, their teacher decided to branch out into biology and do blood typing for the blood drive that was coming up.

Carly watched as the cards and needles were handed out and the room slowly filled with the gasps and giggles as the students pricked their fingers

All of a sudden, an enormous wave of nausea hit her as she suddenly smelled blood.

Head reeling, Carly staggered out of class ignoring the people calling after her.

She walked along the hallway and exited the building, making her way to the nurses' office, which was located just across the yard.

She was almost there when the nausea assaulted her again, and she fell to the ground, head pounding.

She lay there, waiting for the headache and dizziness to go away.

Then, she felt strong hands pulling her up into a sitting position.

"Carly, Carly. Can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes and saw Elias' face inches from hers.

It was...worried?

"Can you hear me?" He repeated.

She nodded, and heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were killed by the teacher, and he had dumped your body"

"Oh yeah, serial killers disguised as teachers frequently drop their victims in the middle of high school courtyards"

She shook her head, the nausea fading just a little.

"I was on my way to the nurse's office, then kinda passed out"

"So I saw"

Carly tried to stand, but wobbled and started falling again.

"Watch it" Elias said, standing quickly and catching her.

"Thanks"

"No problem, you want me to carry you?"

"No"

Then, Carly's feet left the ground as she felt herself being picked up as if she was as light as a feather.

"Put me down!"

Elias ignored her, pushing open the Nurse's door and plopping her onto a cot.

"Do you listen to anything I say?" Carly asked, holding her head in her hands as the room pitched and spun.

"Only when you're saying something important"

Carly rolled her eyes to the best of her ability, then groaned as it made the spinning worse.

She heard a chuckle from Elias' direction.

THe nurse bustled in, her light pink uniform matching the light pink walls.

"Oh dear, is Mr. Peters doing the blood drive again?"

Carly nodded.

The Nurse handed her a glass of water.

"Just lay there until the spinning stops dear"

Carly nodded again, and sipped the water, already the queasiness was going away.

After a few minutes, she opened her eyes, and room stayed in the proper place.

Slowly, Carly got to her feet, testing them out.

FRom the corner, Elias watched her carefully.

She took a few steps.

"All good"

Elias nodded and followed her out the door and back into the courtyard.

Carly sat on the bench, putting her head in her hands again.

Elias looked at her with a curious look.

"Not going back to class?"

"Hell no"

Elias smirked and knelt down to look into her eyes.

"You know, I think that's the first time i've heard you swear"

"Fuck you Elias"

He laughed.

"Oh my god. He laughed"

Elias gave her a weird look.

"Being with your brings out the best in me"

"Yeah, sure"

Elias looked over to the doors.

"You want me to get you out of class? I'll drive you home"

"Yes to the first, no to the second, I can drive myself"

He raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Come on"

He pulled her up, then walked quickly to the office, Carly trailing behind.

He was already there when Carly opened the door.

She couldn't catch what he and the secretary were saying, but she caught her name a few times.

After a few seconds, it was all over, the quickness of it making her head lurch dangerously.

"Come on" Elias said, dragging her out of the office.

Carly made to walk over to her mom's car, but was steered in the other direction to a shiny new Volvo the color of pitch.

She waited, the twisted her arm out of Elias' stone grip, wheeling around and running for her car.

She got about a three feet before he caught up to her and dragged her to his car.

"Let me go!"

Elias ignored her.

"For all I know, you're going to rape me then kill me and dump my body!"

That got his attention, and he pinned her against his car, his green-brown eyes staring at her wide-eyed.

"You think I would hurt you?"

His voice was barely over a whisper.

Carly stared back, blue eyes into green/brown.

If possible, he moved closer, and her breathing hitched.

"I would never, ever hurt you"

Carly froze, her heart pumping erratically.

He was so close.

He stared at her with the same wide-eyed look, then jumped back quickly.

"Get in, i'll have my sister pick up your car"

This time, Carly didn't argue, and she got in the shiny car.

When he was inside and revving the engine, she asked him.

"You have a sister?"

"Yes. Her name's Renesmee. She's my twin sister"

Whoa.

He pulled out of the parking spot, and dove through the lot, exiting onto the main street.

"Where's your house?"

"Cherry"

"Got it"

"Why weren't you in class today?"

"Blood typing makes me squeamish"

Carly felt as if an icicle had been shoved into her stomach.

Blood...

She should have known he wouldn't be there.

SHe shivered, then reached for the heater.

Elias reached at the same time, and their hands touched.

Carly withdrew hers instantly, feeling as if she had been shocked.

His hand was ice cold.

He stopped the car.

"You alright?"

Carly felt her heartbeat going all over the map.

"I'm fine" She lied rather lamely.

SHe looked out the window, and saw that they were out her house.

How did he know it was hers?

She grabbed her backpack.

Tomorrow was saturday.

Thank god.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Elias asked as he rolled down the window.

"Me and my mom are going to Port Angeles for a shopping trip"

He nodded.

"Thanks" she said, looking back one more time.

"No prob" He said, smiling slightly.

Carly walked up to her house, wondering mildly if Elias planned on stalking her.


	9. Chapter 9

As it turns out, Elias did plan to stalk me, but I wouldn't know that until he almost ran me over with his car.

Mom and I decided to leave pretty early to get to Port Angeles, it looked like a huge storm was brewing. My mom wanted to shop for dresses and stuff like that, and after the first twenty minutes in a girly store, my head was starting to spin. I had seen a book store on the way into town, and that seemed like a way less painful way to die.

I told my mom where I was going, and agreed to meet her for dinner. Then I headed off down the street, wary of the storm clouds threatening to pour down on my head.

The book store calmed my head. Ever since my mom had taught me to read, I collected every book I could get my hands on. Being in a used book shop was usually pure heaven. I sat down and started to read a hefty novel, keeping my eye on the clock.

When it came time for me to start heading back to the Italiam restaurant where I would meet my mom, I purchased the book I had been reading, buried it in a pocket of my jacket, and set off. On my way out, I bumped into a guy, earning a death glare.

"Watch it"

For some reason, the hair on the back of my neck went up, and I looked around. Aside from the guy I had bumped into, there wasn't anyone on the sidewalk, and barely any cars on the street. I heard the sound of an engine being gunned, and saw flash of black go around a corner up ahead. Was I imagining a pitch-black volvo? Of course I was. It would be a lie if I said Elias' company wasn't addicting.

Throwing aside my fears, I started up the street, trying to remember the directions my mother had given me to the restaurant. Go to the corner of Windsor, then turn on Waterford and you can't miss it.

Apparently I could, because almost an hour came and went, and I was hopelessly lost. The rain had slowed down to a light drizzle, but it was getting darker and colder. Obviously I had missed my turn-off, and would have to turn around.

I pivoted and started walking back the way I came, then ground to a halt as a group of men came around the nearest corner. The leader said something to the others, and they started walking towards me quickly.

I turned around, almost jogging to the next block and turning the corner. I gasped as it turned into an alleyway leading to a dead end. The men were getting closer, I could hear their voices. Plotting my course of action as my brain crept into hysteria, I put my track skills to use and sprinted out of the alleyway, tearing out into the street.

"Get her!" One of the men yelled, and I could hear their heavy breathing and pounding footsteps as they followed me. My blood raced, fueled by adrenaline.

I should have turned around sooner, the long expanse of road I had traveled was coming back to bite me. I hadn't done track since before the summer, and I couldn't run forever.

Suddenly, I felt myself fly forwards, slamming face-first into the pavement. I gasped in pain as the rocky asphalt scraped my hands and knees, and my ankle throbbed painfully. I could feel the sticky wetness of blood beginning to spread across my palms and run down my legs.

By now, the men had caught up to me, one gulping down a beer. I tried to stand up, but my body hurt too much. Screaming couldn't help me now.

I was about to give up when the sound of an engine being gunned once again cut through the night. A familiar jet-black Volvo shot around a nearby corner, screeching to a halt close to the men. I took my opportunity and threw myself to my feet, diving towards the curb. The Volvo lept forwards, knocking over one guy and sending his beer flying. All except one took off.

The one remaining man ran to me, knocking me off balance and pulling me painfully sideways. The Volvo's engine growled, then jumped forwards again. I threw myself quickly to the side, but the car's fender caught my hip, flinging me to the ground.

I cried out in pain, and I heard to Volvo's door slam.

"Carly" Elias' voice called. His cold hands were pulling me into a sitting position, and it was all I could do to not scream in agony.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" Elias asked, his voice laced with worry.

"You clipped me with your car" I groaned, pulling my shirt up a little to expose a large red mark on my hip that would be a bruise by morning.

Elias set me back on the pavement, his eyes turning angry. Wheeling away, he walked over to an alleyway wall and punched it, breaking a large chunk of brick from it. I winced. Elias came back, walking stiffly.

"I should have picked you up, I shouldn't have waited" He said coldly. I reached out and touched his arm comfortingly and his eyes snapped up to mine. For a minute, we didn't say , then I became painfully aware of the burning in my ankle and hip. My mom was going to have a cow.

"Can you give me a ride to the restaurant i'm supposed to meet my mom at?" I asked tenatively. Elias nodded, and I gingerly stood.

"I'm going to take you to the drugstore first" Elias said after we got into his car. "You're bleeding everywhere" I looked down to see that my sleeves and jeans were soaked in blood. I started to panic, how was he dealing with this? My breathing started to escalate, and Elias looked at me concernedly.

"You're probably going into shock, just stay calm" He said, focusing back on the road and speeding up a little.

'_Or, I could be trapped in a car with a vampire while i'm BLEEDING!'_ I thought to myself.

"The drugstore is just up ahead" Elias said.

Was that suppsoed to comfort me?

In a way it did, because I could get this blood off me so i wouldn't be so... Appetizing. We parked in a Walgreen's lot, and Elias was opening my door before I could even register that I needed to get out.

"Come on" He said, reaching for my wrist. I recoiled. He froze, then stepped back, allowing me to get out on my own. I felt bad, but I didn't want to tempt him.

Once inside the store, Elias made me sit down and wait on an uncomfortable bench. I still think it was a bit pointless for me to even go to the store at all, he could have left me in the car. I leaned back and closed my eyes, fighting off the headache and nausea that came from being chased, injured, and not eating anything for a long, long time.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

"Carly... Carly?" A voice intruded in my mid-sleep fogged brain, causing me to slowly awaken. I opened my grey eyes to see Elias standing mere inches from me, looking worried. When he saw my eyes open though, he relaxed a little. Just a little.

"I'm awake" I mumbled, stretching with a wince.

"Anyone ever tell you that you look rather dead when you sleep?" Elias replied, tossing a bag of medical supplies down beside me. I opened the bag to see bandages, a bottle of water, a towel, painkillers and antibiotic ointment. Good. I rolled up my jeans, intending to take care of my knees first. Everything stung painfully.

Elias just stood and watched, and I kept glancing at him every couple seconds. He was making me nervous...

Slowly, Elias knelt down and took the water and towel from the bag, wetting the cloth and pressing it to my left knee. I bit back a screech of pain as pain seared from my leg. Elias' head whipped up and he snatched the towel away. I unintentionally sucked in a gasp of air, trying to keep from crying out.

"I'm sorry" Elias whispered, averting his eyes. I didn't reply, just tried to get my breathing under control. I was powerless and my vision began to spin, making me nauseous. Something cold was pressed to my face, and suddenly I was awake.

"What?" I mumbled. I opened my eyes, and nearly jumped out of my skin. Elias' face was inches from mine, and his icy hands were on my cheeks.

"Uh..." I said intelligently. I looked into Elias's oddly colored eyes for what felt like the first time, even though I knew it couldn't be... His eyes set me on edge, especially looking this closely at them. His eyes started as a dreamy Blue near the pupils, then got bright caramel colored as the irises extended. As far as I knew, that kind of coloring wasn't possible. Then again... Vampire.

I almost laughed out loud at my thought pattern. If anyone ould read my mind, they probably would think I was a lunatic... Maybe I was.

"Carly. You are honest to god scaring me" Elias' smooth voice interrupted my inner monologue. I needed to get myself together.

"I'm sorry!" I said to Elias, snatching the towel from his hand and beginning to scrub painfully at my knee. It hurt like heck, but i could live. I grit my teeth, and Elias only watched in silence.

"That can't be good for your teeth" Elias said after a few minutes, smirking. With a pang, I realized I was gritting my teeth probably loud enough for the whole store to hear.

"Sorry" I replied, beginning to bandage my knees.

Then I remembered. Mom.

"Shit!" I said loudly, face-palming when I realized that once again, the whole store could probably hear me.

Elias looked at me like I was crazy.

"My mom!" I said, quieter this time. "I was supposedtomeetherfordinner!" The last bit of my sentence came out in a rush as I gathered the medical supplies together. I turned on my heel, all the bandages tucked in their designated plastic baggy, only to face Elias, who was doubled over in laughter.

"Wha? Why are you laughing? this is serious!" I yelled at him in a whisper, not wanting to draw anymore attention to myself.

"You're hilarious, and your hair looks like a cat!" Elias eked out between fits of laughter. I glared at him, tears stinging my eyes. My mom would KILL me, not to mention I looked like a survivor from a horror film, which would cause her to go into a fit. Elias saw that I wasn't amused, and stood, suddenly sober.

"It's alright, Carly. I texted your mom to say you would be getting a ride home with me" He said, putting his cool hands on my shoulders to calm me down. It worked and I felt deflated, like a balloon. God, I was all over the emotional map tonight...

"Do you want food?" Elias asked, taking the bag of medical supplies from my hand.

"I...yeah" I replied. Suddenly I realized I was famished. My mom and I didn't eat much for dinner. Mom...

Elias started to move smoothly towards the store's automatic doors, and I followed, thinking about my mom. Then I thought of something that made me stop in my tracks, an expression of fear frozen on my face.

How did Elias know my mom's cell phone number?


	11. Chapter 11

I followed Elias out to the Volvo, getting in gingerly. I would so regret this in the morning... I regretted the fact that I was so careless already, but beating myself up could wait until tomorrow.

"Where would you like to eat?" Elias asked quietly.

"Anywhere is fine" I replied, looking down into my lap. Truthfully, I felt like an idiot. I should have paid more attention, or better yet just stayed with my mom. She was probably sick with worry...

Elias pulled the car into the lot a few blocks down from a small italian restaurant that was packed, once again opening the door before I could even register we were there. I limped wordlessly the few blocks to the restaurant, Elias shadowing me. We passed a dark alley, and I flinched. Elias noticed and stepped closer. I instantly felt a bit safer. We reached the doors without any other hitches.

"Hang on" Elias said, grabbing my shoulder gently and turning me to face him. I avoided his gaze as he stared at me.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, his voice tinged with concern.

"I'm fine" I replied in what I hoped was a convincing tone. Elias looked skeptical when I raised my eyes to meet his, but luckily he let it go, opening to restaurant door for me. The interior of the restaurant was cold, and I found myself shivering as I followed the hostess to our table.

We were given a dimply lit booth in the corner of the little bistro, away form the other people.

"You look cold" Elias said with a half smile, taking off his jacket and putting it around my shoulders. I opened my mouth to protest, but Elias held up a hand, silencing me. I closed my mouth and settled into the fabric.

The waiter came with our menus and some water, his eyes lingering on me for longer than I thought necessary. Elias pointedly glared at the waiter, who backed off once he saw Elias' murderous expression. I fought a giggle.

"Why are you so protective of me?" I asked. Elias shrugged, leaning back in his seat and fixing me in his hard gaze.

"You're worth protecting" He said cryptically, and I had to avert my eyes to the couple in the booth across from us. When I finally worked up the courage to look at Elias again after a couple minutes, he was still staring at me, expression unreadable. I returned his eye contact.

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked softly, his brow creasing. Good question. Elias' presence both calmed me and set me on edge. I wanted to be with him, I just didn't want to end up as vampire...er, chow.

"No" I answered truthfully, staring into his eyes. I noticed with a jolt that his eyes started brown in the middle, then got blue as the irises extended. I've never seen eyes like that... They were beautiful.

The waiter crept back to us, avoiding Elias' pointed glare. I ordered a salad and made a mental note to leave the waiter a good tip. As he scuttled away, Elias' gaze fixed on me again.

"You know, we know nothing about each other" I said, deciding to make conversation to pass the time. Elias leaned forwards, putting his elbows on the table and flicking his hair to the side.

"My father is a Doctor, my mother doesn't work, I have a multitude of brothers and sisters" Something clicked in my memory.

"One of your sisters is Renesmee, right?" He nodded. "What are the others named" Elias visibly stiffened.

"Er, Renesmee, Alice, Rosalie, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett" For the first time, he didn't meet my eyes, and I instantly knew he was hiding something. Elias cleared his throat.

"I live with my mom and my cat" I stated bluntly. It didn't sound nearly as glamorous as his family tree did.

"Fluffy" He mumbled. Now it was my turn to stiffen.

"I... never told you her name" I said, watching him.

"Yes you did, on Friday in History when the Teacher called on you for that ownership assignment" Elias said in a bit of a rush. I gaped at him, slightly speechless.

I knew for sure I had never done such a thing.

Why did he know my cat's name as well as my mom's cell number? Was he stalking me? My mind went back to the rustling I had heard outside my window the other night, and I kept myself from gasping in shock. Could that have been him? This new thought train both excited and unnerved me. I needed to detox my brain...

My food came, startling me out of my reverie. I picked at the small salad with very little appetite, my new mental discovery taking over my mind.

"What happened?" Elias asked. I looked at him like a deer in headlights.

"You went all spacey" Oops.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff" I flashed a small smile, and that seemed to content Elias. He leaned back once more, and the rest of the meal progressed in silence.

When I finished my salad, I dug in my pockets for my wallet. I started to pull out some money, but Elias grabbed the bill from my hands, putting a credit card down and handing it to the waiter before I could even register what was happening.

"I was going to pay for that" I protested.

"Too bad" Elias said bluntly. I fumed a little.

"You didn't have to" He gave me a flat look.

"Deal with it"

I huffed, then stood as the waiter returned. I put a small tip on the table, ignoring Elias' pointed glare.

"Why did you leave a tip, that guy practically groped you with his mind" Elias hissed as we exited the restaurant into the chilly night air.

"Chill" I said, mimicking his earlier cold tone. I could practically hear him roll his eyes behind me.

We walked in cold silence to the Volvo, our breath misting in front of us. I shivered despite Elias' jacket and mine. As we walked down the sidewalk to where the car was parked, I walked along the edge of the walk, something I had done since I was little.

"Be careful" Elias said, walking a few paces ahead of me. Deciding to heed his advice, I stepped into the middle of the sidewalk. We passed the alleyway again, and I didn't think anything of it until I felt a hand grab my hair, yanking me backwards.

"Don't scream" A gravelly voice drawled in my ear. My breathing escalated. Twice in one night? What was going on? The guy began to pull me backwards, and I struggled. Finally, he was fed up and punched me in the stomach, causing the bruise from the Volvo to burn. I moaned in pain and the man turned me roughly around and slapped my face, bruising my lip. The sound of the slap echoed around the alley.

"Get your hands off of her" A sudden voice sliced menacingly through the night. I let out a breath, a tear leaking down my cheek. The man pulled me further back by my hair, nearly yanking it from my skull. I cried out.

All I felt was a whoosh of air, and then I was shoved forwards to the ground, causing my wounds from earlier to sting sharply. I heard a thud, and then I was being picked up. Elias carried me to the Volvo and gently set me in the passenger side, body taught with anger. He went around to the other side and buckled in, putting the keys in the ignition and beginning to drive.

"Are you alright" He said coldly, making it a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah" I replied, wiping the tears off of my stinging cheeks. He looked over and I avoided what I knew would be an icy look. We were silent as he got on the highway out of Port Angeles, heading back to Forks.

"Can't you stay out of trouble for one day?" He asked equally as cold as before.

"I'm sorry. The guy just grabbed me" I said, my cheeks burning in shame. I felt bad, I was freaking burden to him. I should just stay home until i'm thirty.

"You should have fought him off, you're better than that. " He said almost in a whisper, and I felt my lip quiver. Salty tears poured out of my eyes and I looked away, hiding my face in my hands.

He had to be mean all the time, didn't he. It wasn't lke I was trying to be pathetically weak... I was just unlucky, and he had to make me feel bad about it.

Some friend he was, if our relationship was even close to friendship.

It was a surprisingly short car trip home, and I practically ran into my house, not wanting to look back at the Volvo or it's driver. Luckily, my mom had already gone to bed, and I was able to go in and cry myself to sleep in relative peace.

Until the nightmares started.


	12. Chapter 12

You know when people try to tell you that your nightmares are all in your head? They are. But that doesn't make them any more terrifying. My nightmares that night were horrible, and more than once I woke up screaming.

When my alarm went off, signaling that I had to depart for school, I put my head under the pillow. There was no way I was going to school today. No way.

My mom had already left, I had heard her try to leave quietly and hour previous when I was lying awake. I would explain tonight why I didn't go to school. There was no homework due, and my lab partner would take notes for me in science.

I tried to fall back to sleep, only succeeding after I shut the blinds to my window.

I was still plagued with nightmares, but these were ones I could tolerate. Elias would dart in and out of them, but my dream-self didn't give him much thought.

When I rolled awake again at 2:45, I still felt like I had been floored by a ton of bricks, but that was better than the near-hysterical-yet-zombiefied state I was in this morning.

My stomach growled, and I was forced to exit my cozy bedroom to eat something.

All the way down the stairs, I pondered Elias, brushing my hair as I went.

His words from last night came back to me. "_You should have fought him off, you're better than that_" echoed through my head and I shivered.

Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen, pouring a bowl of Cheerio's I was no longer hungry for. I gave my bowl a quizzical glance.

Maybe I needed more sleep.

I poured the cereal back into its bag and got a glass of milk instead, going to my laptop.

I logged into facebook, then puttered around the kitchen, doing dishes and wiping down counters. The work gave me a rhythm, blocking out all pestering thoughts of Elias.

My facebook message alert went off, snapping me out of my cleaning spree with a small scream. With a frown, I saw that it was from Elias.

_"No show at school today, everything alright?" _I rolled my eyes. I was supposed to be mad at him. I toyed with the idea of ignoring him, then just went with monosyllabic truth.

_"Yeah" _I replied, picturing the frustrated frown that was probably adorning Elias' smug little face. His next reply genuinely shocked me.

_"I don't believe you. Can I come over?" _My jaw dropped. God, this guy had mood swings.

_"Now's not the best time, sorry" _I wasn't really, I didn't want to see him, plain and simple. I went over to the sink and took a couple pieces of silverware out to scrub.

_"Fine. You better not have cut yourself" _I froze.

_"You hear me Carly?" _The silence dragged on. I honestly didn't know what to say.

_"...I'm going to come over. I'll be there in five. If you've been cutting, I'm going to hurt you"_

I lunged to the computer, forgetting about the silverware in my hands. I tripped on the computer stool, causing one of the knives to slice into the back of my left hand. I bit back a cry of pain. I began to type a reply, something, anything to keep him from coming here, but he had already logged off.

I swore, throwing the bloody knife in my hand across the room. It hit the counter and bounced off, trailing blood across the floor.

Now Elias would think I was a crazy psychopath. WHY WHY WHY was I so clumsy?

A knock sounded at the front door, sending me into a panic.

I grabbed a towel off the counter, pressing it to my hand. I raced to the door, opening it just as Elias raised his hand to knock again. He took one look at the bloodstained towel, and his face darkened.

This was going to get ugly.


End file.
